For most of us New Jersey drivers, car insurance is costly, especially if you or anyone in your household has a history of motor vehicle accidents or tickets. Because it is such an expense, many people purchase the bare minimum coverage. As an attorney who, over my 20 years of practice, has represented my share of personal injury clients, I have unfortunately encountered too many situations where my client suffered significant injuries but, because he or she was not sufficiently insured, he or she was not justly compensated for those injuries.
When you are involved in a motor vehicle accident where you are deemed to have suffered permanent injuries and are 50% or less at fault, you are entitled to recover for non-economic loss otherwise known as pain and suffering. While New Jersey is considered a no-fault state, this pertains only to which insurance company provides your medical treatment, which is your insurance company. When it comes to non-economic loss, the insurance company for the person at fault for the accident pays for such loss. If you are hit by someone with high limits or a commercial vehicle, you will likely have no problem being fairly compensation for your injuries. Unfortunately, we cannot dictate who is going to hit us. As I said earlier, because of the high cost of insurance to most, many people maintain barebones coverage. While you can seek compensation from the person who hit you above the insurance coverage limits, the odds a person who maintains minimal insurance coverage has the means to pay you are poor.
Therefore, when shopping for auto insurance make sure you purchase bodily injury and uninsured/ underinsured (“UM/UIM”) coverage with limits of a minimum $100,000.00 per son and $300,000.00 per accident. With such limits you will ensure that you will be able recover up to $100,000.00 regardless of the amount of coverage the person who caused the accident carries. If you can afford it, purchase an even higher limit or a single limit policy if your auto insurance company offers such an option. You can decrease your insurance premium by having a higher deductible on your Personal Injury Protection coverage and/or collision coverage. You may not even need collision based on the age of your vehicle and whether or not you are still making payments on it. There are other areas of a standard auto insurance policy where you can skimp, but make sure your UM/UIM limits are sufficient to compensate you in the event you sustain severe injuries due to someone’s poor driving.
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